Introduction

What a year this has been!

Here are some of the high-points from the rest of the year:

On January 25, Paul and Tara took us to enjoy Teatro ZinZanni.

We also celebrated Anne's 24th birthday...

We celebrated Kaylie's 6th birthday at her house in North Bend.

In March, Debra and Colin tried to see how "poofy" they could make their hair.

On April 9th, the family gathered at Thomas' house to have pizza and to celebrate his 29th birthday.

Valorie and Ted took a paddle-wheel boat trip up the Columbia River.

Valorie turned 51 on May 3, and and the family gathered at the Keg to celebrate.

In June, for Fathers Day, we enjoyed the "Summer Brewfest" in Kenmore.



We also attended Craig and Janes wedding. This was a cute remembrance from the wedding.



Paul and Tara moved to Ravenna and hosted an open house for neighbors and friends.

We celebrated Paul's birthday at the Red Robin in Southcenter.



For the Fourth of July, we visited Brian Grunke in Pasco.

The family met at the Claim Jumper restaurant to celebrate Ted's and Tara's birthday. Here's Ted!

On August 19, we met for dinner to celebrate Emily's birthday.

Colin gets a birthday cake on his 16th birthday.

On October 9, we hosted a baby shower for Kayrena.

On November 10, Nickki gave birth to her son, Cohen.

For Thanksgiving, Anne hosted the family to dinner at her house.

We had a second Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Kaylie and Austin sat at the table with Mr. Bear.

On December 21, we celebrated Austin's 5th birthday.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

I arose at 4:45 this morning. While taking my shower, I had the coffee brewing.

Valorie is going to school with Colin today to help in his business class. She will be posing as an employer while the students interview with her.

Rhys is curled up in the chair beside me, a favorite location for him while I spend time at the computer.

Mollie will soon be at my feet, begging to get up into my lap. It's hard to work at the keyboard with a plump doggie perched on my knee!
I have streaming radio playing through my media player. I listen to Country 105 from Calgary Canada. It's 4 degrees centegrade in Calgary this morning.

I napped with the doggies until Debra left to take her Sociology final.
Valorie went to school with Colin to help in class play the part of a job interviewer.
I went shopping and got some oil filters, Christmas candy, and fish food.
I changed oil in the Ford Ranger.
Debra and I went to Buckley and found a Christmas tree. We brought it home and strung the lights on it. Debra hung severl ornaments. It looks great!

Things that made me smile today:
Mollie showing up to beg to get into my lap.
Sunshine through the window making rainbows on the walls.
Hearing Valorie call Anne and telling her, "This is your nag mother calling, wondering where your Christmas list is..."

Thursday, December 16, 2004

I arose at 5:30.

I watched "The House of Sand and Fog". I wasn't prepared for the parallels with Carol's life. It was shocking.

I'm fighting a low-grade infection, so I napped most of the day.
Debra finished her last final today, so she is done for the year.
At 1, she picked Rick up from the Auburn bus station.
Kim and Emily stopped by at 2. Gave them two 100-light strings of indoor Christmas tree lights.


Things that made me smile today:

Message from Anne, saying: "Jason doesn't know i'm on his (Amazon) account, hehehe"
Scratching Lilly on her tummy and seeing her fiendish grin

Friday, December 17, 2004

I arose at 4 this morning. Of course both dogs had to follow me out of bed, one curled up in the blanket on the chair and one in my lap.
At 7:45, Debra and I drove through the fog to Ted's house in Buckley and went with him to the cabin. The pump in the well has stopped working again, so we met Jack there and took it out. Ted put it in his van and we drove to Auburn to drop it off at the pump repair shop. Unfortunately, they were not open, so we returned and put it in his garage.

At home, Debra called Nickki and had her send me their Christmas lists. With lists in hand, we decided to go shopping in Issaquah. We went to the little shops just off Front Street, but many of them had closed! We visited the toy store, but I didn't find anything. We then went to Costco, where I got two vacuum cleaners (one for Rick and Kim and one for Scott and Kayrena), a pack of scrapbook paper, some books, and a smoothie-maker for Nickki.

We then went to Target where I got a "tumblin sounds giraffe" for Cohen, a "little people animal sounds farm" for Hayden, and a CD (Kenny Chesney's greatest hits) for Justin.

We stopped for lunch/dinner at the 19th Street Cafe.




Things that made me smile today:
   1) Finding the Costco parking lot in gridlock!
   2)

Saturday, December 18, 2004

I arose at 4:30. Debra was up already, since she has to work at 5:30.

I found out that the Toys R Us in Federal Way opens at 8, so I left the house at 7:30. I got there just a few minutes before they opened. I found everything that I was looking for: a doll house for Kaylie, a poseable Spiderman action figure for Austin, a Magnetix set for Austin's birthday, a lip-lamp for Kaylie and a few other items. It was great!

I then stopped at Costco and picked up digital camera for Nickki. They had a 4-mega-pixel Olympus camera, which should be perfect for someone starting out taking digital pictures.

At home, I put some batteries in the camera and checked it out. It works well.

Since it was a nice sunny day, I decided to wash the Ford Ranger and the Forester. They were dirty, and sure look so much better when they are shiny and clean.

I took a nap, and woke up when Debra arrived with a selection of treats from the bakery. She and Colin took her van to Buckley, since Kim needed to go to North Bend to see Nickki.

Paul called, wondering how to spell "Cohen's" name, since I hadn't updated my web page. I tried to find out what else he might like for Christmas, but didn't come up with any ideas. He did find out that Carrie needed a Sonicare toothbrush, so I decided to go to Fred Meyer. Fortunately, they had one on sale, and I saved $30!

Valorie set about wrapping her gifts, and at 6, we were getting hungry. Since Debra and Colin were in Buckley, we dicided to go for fish at Ivers in Kent. We had a good dinner. On the way home, we stopped at Staples and picked up another MP3 player for Tara. I got a USB mouse for Debra, and a USB cable so she could hook up to my Inkjet printer. Valorie volunteered to wrap as many presents as I wanted her too, so I brought out everything from my "stash". The kitchen was packed!

Sunday, December 19, 2004

I arose at 6:30. Valorie had stayed up most of the night wrapping gifts, and finished everything. Wow! There were pretty gifts everywhere!

I brought many of them back into my office, since it's not safe leaving them out for almost a week. I put my old printer and the new laptop computer in one big box, along with the mouse and USB cable. I'll wrap it later.

I snoozed for several hours before Debra and Colin arose around 10:30. Debra had rented two movies, so we watched "House of Fog and Sand", followed by "21 Grams". Both were very depressing movies.

We decided to go shopping, so we all jumped in the car and headed for South Center. We stopped at the "Game Stop" in Kent where Valorie found a game, and then headed for Silver Platters. Colin and Debra got a few CD's. We stopped for dinner at the Aztec Mexican Restaurant. We then went to Borders, where everyone found a book or two. I went across the street and got a battery charger for Nickki.

I headed to bed once we were home.

Monday, December 20, 2004

I arose at 4:45 this morning. Valorie was busy trying to find addresses so she could send out Christmas cards.

I watched a bit of the news. The top story was the Washington State governors' race, where the total vote count separating Dino Rossi and Christine Gregoire is now at 50 votes. King County has yet to report their recount.

I wrapped Nickki's camera and the gift for Debra. I should get more gifts today.

Debra arose at 9:30 and mentioned that Nickki didn't have diapers that fit Hayden, and couldn't go to the store because she didn't have gas for her van. In addition, she was worried that she would only have a gift for Kaylie to put under the tree on Christmas morning; nothing for the rest of the kids. The message couldn't have been clearer to me: I needed to take a trip to North Bend!

Debra and I left at 10. I stopped at the bank and got some cash, and stopped at Safeway in North Bend to pick up some diapers. At Nickki's, I suggested that we go for lunch, fill up the van with gas, and do some shopping.

We had a nice lunch at McDonalds and then stopped at the outlet stores. Nickki got a few toys from the Kaybee outlet store, and then picked up some coats for the kids. Meanwhile, Anne called, and wanted to go shopping with us. She met us there and we decided to go to the Issaquah Costco. We shopped for an hour there, where everyone picked up some nice gifts.

At Nickki's again, we waited until Kaylie got home from school before saying our "goodbye". It was a lovely day. Anne, Debra and I called Valorie, and decided to meet for dinner at Presti's. We had a good meal, although the waitress tipped over the candle holder and managed to splash Debra with hot wax. As Colin mentioned, he had never heard a waitress swear at the table before!

After dinner, Debra drove the truck back to our house and she headed home. Anne, Valorie and I called Thomas and arranged to meet him in Factoria. We shopped the mall, and everyone found a few gifts. The Secret Garden had some unusual and nice things. While walking through Mervin's, Anne noticed the women's thongs and mentioned (so the store clerk could hear) that maybe Grandpa Cowan would like one. The clerk was clearly flustered and said she "didn't want to go there"; neither did we. In all, it was a wonderful day.

At home, I did receive three more packages: a bracelet for Anne, a gemology book for Anne, and a DVD for Jason.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Three cheers for the Solstice, and a hearty "Happy Fifth Birthday" to Austin!


I arose at 7:30 and spent some time updating my contacts list with addresses provided by Kim.

I spent the morning wrapping gifts for Jason, Valorie and Anne.

I went to BECU and made a bank deposit. I picked up a bag of pepperoni pieces, which I hung on several branches of the Christmas tree. Both Rhys and Mollie were sniffing about trying to find them. I also put one in the center of their little red chew-toy. Lillie spent hours chewing it trying to get the treat.

We went to Austin's 5th birthday party at Nickki and Justin's house. Austin had a fine time opening presents and enjoying his cake. Paul and Tara were there, along with Anne.

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

I arose at 4:15. I still have a sinus headache, so I have been taking it really easy, trying to get as much rest a possible. Having said that, it seems odd to realize that I decided to rake up the branches in the back yard and change the water in my fish tank!


Paul came over just after noon, and we all (Paul, Valorie, Colin, Emily and I) went to lunch at the Black Diamond Bakery. We returned home and Paul wrapped some gifts for Tara and made some really funny labels for his Black Diamond hop beer.

We all went for dinner at El Corporal in Maple Valley, but I opted not to eat anything.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

I arose at 6:30


I was not feeling well at all today, so I slept for several hours in the morning after wrapping a few gifts for Anne.

At noon, I went to Enumclaw to replenish our liquor supply. Got a few stocking stuffers as well. I stopped at QFC and bought sandwich meats, cheeses and party supplies for tomorrow night.

At home, I spent another couple hours sleeping. Kim came over and visited for a few hours. She left, taking Emily. Colin has been playing a video game, but hadn't saved it for a long time. Of course, the worst happened, the game froze, and he has to re-do a lot of it.

Valorie and Colin went to dinner at Ghorms. They also stopped at Fred Meyer. They brought me a chocolate shake, which tasted yummy.

Thomas called, wanting to know if I was going to go shopping tomorrow morning. I had to say no. He has a few last-minute gifts to find, and suggested that he might offer to help Anne do set-up at the Herbfarm Restaurant so she can finish early tomorrow. That would be nice!

Friday, December 24, 2004

Kayrena Betts had her baby this morning at 1:20 AM. Her name is Avonleah.


I am feeling somewhat better, but Valorie got up at 6 and was sick to her stomach and feeling very cold. I hope she can get some rest and feel better for the party tonight.

Colin burned the trash while I arranged the dining room. He then vacuumed the couch and helped get out the presents. I've never seen so many presents. As Paul mentioned, we didn't really need a Christmas tree; we could just pile up the presents in the shape of a tree!

We had everything ready by 4 PM and everyone had arrived by 5, except for Rick who had to work at the Bellevue Post Office today.

Kaylie, Austin and Hayden had a great time opening their gifts. Hayden stole the show when he opened his Poobah and just screamed out a joyful song!

Nickki really liked her digital camera, but will need some time to figure out how to use it properly.

Valorie was feeling much better by the end of the evening and a good time was had by all.

Thomas spent several hours loading Linux onto Debra's new laptop computer.

Saturday, December 25, 2004

Merry Christmas!

I arose at 6 AM. Colin is sleeping on the couch, since his waterbed fell apart last night!


I returned one book to Amazon. They make it so easy to do, even providing a return label that doesn't need postage.

We left for dinner at Ron & Carrie's at 2, arriving at 3. Ron fixed a wonderful Christmas dinner.

Paul and Tara arrived at 6:30, and we all opened presents at 7.

Afterwards, we played a "finish the saying" game.

Sunday, December 26, 2004

I arose at 7 AM.


I spent most of the morning sleeping and resting. Colin and Debra went to see a movie, so I decided to try to fix Colin's waterbed.

I went to Home Depot and bought a sheet of plywood, returned home and measured and cut it to fit. I had to take apart all of the old brackets, since they were completely broken.

I finished by early evening. Unknown to me, Colin was upset because he really wanted to get rid of the bed and get something different. However, he had failed to tell me this! Anyway, everything turned out OK because if we want to give the bed to someone else now it will last a long time.

Monday, December 27, 2004

I arose at 6:15, noticing that I am having a re-lapse of my sinus infection!


Paul and Tara had been to visit Scott and Kayrena yesterday, and Paul included some pictures of the newest member of the family, Avonleah.


I went to Reber Ranch and got another bag of pig food, and also stopped at Safeway to get more cat food.

I was exhausted by the time I arrived home, and I was in a really bad mood.

Colin played video games with Chris and Kim (from next door). I fixed myself french toast for dinner, watched the news, and was in bed by 8.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

I arose at 6:30. Ted Cowan called to say that the pump was fixed and ready to re-install in the well at the cabin.

I arrived at his house at 9:20 (5 minutes late, so Debra had to call...), and we arrived at the cabin just after 10. I carried the pump to the well and re-attached it to the mounting frame. We struggled a bit trying to get the feeder hose attached, but were finally successful. After re-tightening the fittings, we turned it on and it pumped great!

Back at home, I suggested that we go shopping for a Futon for Colin. Valorie drove us to Southcenter, where we stopped at the Futon store. The clerk was really helpful, and we found a nice frame, a fantastic matress, and a nice cover. Since we didn't have the truck with us, we returned home. I spent the next two hours emptying the waterbed, disassembling it, and moving it out.

Valorie & Colin returned to pick up the bed. Valorie stopped at Costco to pick up a Thomas Guide for Kim for her birthday tomorrow. When Colin and Valorie arrived back home again, we unpacked the new bed and Colin and I set it up. It looks great.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Happy Birthday, Kim, at a sweet 49 years of age!


I literally spent the day sleeping. I can't seem to get rid of the sinus infection, so more rest was perscribed.

Debra came over and helped Colin all day long to re-arrange and beautify his room. It looks great.

Valorie put an advertisement on the web for a free super-single waterbed, and three people responded. The first two didn't follow-through, but the third one did. She will be by tomorrow to pick it up.

Thomas called to find out when everyone was planning on going up to the cabin. He has Friday and Saturday off, but really didn't want to be the only one at the cabin. Debra wants go go up soon, so maybe they can make a deal?

Thursday, December 30, 2004

I arose this morning at 2:30 and took a shower. I'm still stuffed up, but feeling a bit better.


I watched a few shows on TV, including a 2-hour summary of science discoveries in 2004. They talked of space research (Mars rovers), finding another "planet" beyond Pluto, and about advances in medicine (potential cancer vaccines). I also watched one about the development of computer games, which showed the original development of "pong", "donkey kong" and the Mario and Zelda games.


The lady who wanted to get Colin's waterbed stopped by at 11:45. They tied everything to the top of their truck and thanked us for giving it to them. I was glad to see it go to someone who could use it.


Valorie and I decided to take down the Christamas tree, so we spent several hours packing ornaments, lights and hardware. It looks so dull now that the tree is gone, but a bit of a relief to me to have that job done.

Debra and Colin still had not returned by dinner time, so we decided to go eat at the Dinner House. We both ordered caesar salads, which were filled with garlic.

On the way home, we stopped at Bartell Drugs to pick up Colin's perscriptions.

Debra and Colin were at our house when we got home. Debra called Thomas and they both decided to head to the cabin tonight. Debra went home to pack and returned later to meet Thomas here.

I headed to bed early to get more rest and try to beat this darn cold!

Friday, December 31, 2004

I arose at 6:30.

Saturday, January 1, 2005

Hello 2005!

Here are 2004's top 10 stories, as voted by AP members:

1. U.S. ELECTION: After vanquishing Howard Dean, John Edwards and other Democratic rivals, Kerry seemed to have a strong chance of ousting Bush. But the Massachusetts senator struggled to explain his stance on Iraq, underestimated the sting of negative ads and in the end narrowly lost the pivotal swing state of Ohio after a campaign in which Bush, over and over, insisted he was best qualified to be commander in chief at a time of complex challenges to national security.

2: IRAQ: Throughout 2004, Iraq was a striking mix of bloody turmoil and tantalizing promise. Anti-American insurgents wreaked havoc with car bombings and videotaped beheadings of hostages; the death toll for U.S. military forces passed 1,300, and the toll of Iraqi civilians was many times higher. Yet Iraq's interim leaders doggedly proceeded with plans for national elections early in the new year.

3. FLORIDA HURRICANES: Four major hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne devastated Florida and other southern states in August and September, killing 117 people in Florida, destroying 2,500 homes and causing more than $22 billion in insured losses. Not since 1886 had one state been hit by four hurricanes in one season.

4. ABU GHRAIB SCANDAL: Photographs came to light showing U.S. military guards at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad forcing naked Iraqi detainees to pose in humiliating positions. Prosecutions ensued, and the scandal fueled anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world.

5. SEPT. 11 REPORT: After painstaking research and dramatic public hearings, the commission formed to investigate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, issued its report. It concluded that America's leaders failed to grasp the gravity of terrorist threats before Sept. 11 and recommended creation of a national intelligence director to oversee civilian and military intelligence agencies.

6: GAY MARRIAGE: From coast to coast, gay marriage was a volatile topic throughout the year. Massachusetts became the first state to have legal, same-sex weddings, and local officials in several places including San Francisco and Portland, Ore. also wed gay and lesbian couples before courts intervened. However, each time the issue reached the ballot in 13 states in all voters decisively approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

7: ARAFAT DIES: For three decades, Yasser Arafat was a hero to most of his fellow Palestinians but considered unreliable or worse by leaders in the West and Israel. His death in November, at age 75, triggered emotional mourning among Palestinians but also sparked hopes of a breakthrough in efforts to end their long, bloody conflict with Israel.

8: REAGAN DIES: Alzheimer's disease had kept Ronald Reagan out of the public eye for a decade. But when the nation's 40th president died in June, at 93, Americans responded with an outpouring of affection and respect. His stately funeral in Washington brought the country together at least briefly in a year otherwise marked by bitter partisan divisions.

9: RUSSIAN SCHOOL SEIZURE: Even in a world grown all too accustomed to terrorism, the drama in the Russian town of Belsan was shocking because children were so clearly prime targets. A band of terrorists, believed led by a Chechen warlord, took more than 1,000 people hostage at a school in September. When the seizure ended, amid explosions and gunfire, more than 330 hostages had been killed most of them children.

10: MADRID BOMBINGS: Another stunning terrorist strike occurred in March, when 190 people were killed after bombs hidden in backpacks exploded on four commuter trains during Madrid's morning rush hour. Soon after the attack, which was blamed on Islamic militants, angry voters unseated Spain's pro-American conservative government in favor of the Socialist Party, which promptly withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq.

Voters in the AP survey were invited to write in their own suggestions for top stories. One voter listed "the growing gap between the haves and have-nots" and another the "growing influence of evangelical conservatives on our political campaigns."

A sports story almost cracked the Top 10: The Boston Red Sox' World Series victory, their first since 1918, finished No. 13 and was among 10 stories that received at least one first-place vote.

Of course, the late-breaking story of the tragedy due to the Tsunami in Asia would have taken a top spot in the news stories had it been included prior to voting.